Page:A history of Chile.djvu/424

 378 A HISTORY OF CHILE constitutes a large part of the population. He is the real son of the soil, the true Chilean. He is a great miner, but rather roving in his disposition. He is in- dustrious, ignorant, and has few wants. He is by in- stinct intelligent, but he is superstitious. He is the filthiest of mortals in his house; he lives upon his gar- lic dish of cazuela, watermelons and liquor. He has a large family invariably, despite the fact that his chil- dren die like summer insects, because of filth. He is a strong man, because only a healthy child is able to survive. If he has a simple mud-plastered hovel and a few fagots upon which to cook his cazuela, he is con- tented and happy. He is faithful to his home, although he is seldom married to his wife. He chooses a help- mate in early life by simply agreeing to live with her, and he usually keeps his promise. His pleasure is drink and his amusement is riding. He lives niggardly and works constantly for several weeks, hoarding his pittance for a grand carousal. He dresses in the simplest fashion, a shirt, a pair of trow- sers, a slouch hat and a poncho constituting his garb. His wife wears a calico gown with a long train, which is usuall}' bedraggled as to skirt. It is seldom that he can read, but he has natural genius for imitating and learns to do any kind of work with little instruction. He has wonderful strength and endurance. No Euro- pean is capable of such physical endurance. He is a specially good miner and can scramble up a notched pole with a hundred pounds of ore upon his back. As a stevedore in the harbor, he disdains the use of mod- ern appliances and with sheer physical strength lifts and carries upon his back enormous weights. Four of them will think it no task to shoulder p. pianoforte and go trotting through the street with it. The peons are docile enough in disposition and